GARRIOCH: Talks continue, but Senators don't expect to move from No. 19 position

And, as the clock ticked down to the final hours before Round 1 of the annual NHL draft Friday night at Rogers Arena, the Ottawa Senators scouting staff were huddled in a conference room at their downtown hotel Thursday going over every possible scenario as the club prepares to make the No. 19 overall selection.

While general manager Pierre Dorion has certainly discussed the possibility of moving up or down in Round 1 with several teams, the expectation is the Senators will stay right where they are unless an opportunity presents itself on the floor in a draft that has been described as unpredictable after the first two selections.

“Not that I’m a betting man, but where those discussions (about moving up) are going right now, we believe that we’ll be picking at No. 19,” Dorion said during his media availability Thursday afternoon. “You never know what can happen. We feel that it could be a pretty volatile draft from No. 10 on, so you never know.

“If a guy slips, maybe you give up the asset you didn’t want to give up to move up. But at that point in time, we’ll look at it. We’ve had discussions about moving up and moving down, but if I had to say where the Ottawa Senators are going to select, I’d probably bet on No. 19.”

With three picks in the top 44, the Senators are sitting in a position of strength, and that’s why Thursday was spent looking at every possible equation. It’s not the first choice, but if there’s a player that chief scout Trent Mann and his staff really want, then one of those two picks in the second round could be used to make a trade.

At this point, the Senators feel they’re better off waiting to see how it all unfolds before surrendering either the No. 32 or No. 44 selection in the second round.

“Maybe one of those top-10 guys (on the club’s list) is there at No. 13, 14 or 15, so that’s where we’ve prepared ourselves for those scenarios and talked to general managers,” Dorion added. “There’s going to be more discussions before and after the GMs’ meetings (Thursday) and then we’ll have a good idea if we have a chance to move up.

“We’re not going to push the matter on it because we don’t know what player is going to be there. At the same time, if that doesn’t happen, we’re prepared to take a really good player at No. 19.”

Mann said the Senators have to be ready for just about anything. While the New Jersey Devils will likely select Jack Hughes No. 1 and then Finnish prospect Kaapo Kakko is expected to head to the New York Rangers, that’s generally where the predictions stop, and that’s why doing your homework is important.

If Mann feels the club has to move up, then Dorion will try to make it happen because he has a scouting background and he knows what these next two days mean to his staff.

“That was part of the discussions this morning and yesterday, and we’ll continue to have them,” Mann said. “We’re aware of the thresholds we have where we feel, ‘You know what, if we feel that we have a chance to move up, these are the areas we think are worthwhile.’ If not, there’s also a few scenarios where we’re willing to move back.

“(Dorion) is aware of those and so he’ll continue to have conversations and he’ll bring them back to us, and we’ll discuss it and see if there’s a fit for us. If not, we’re comfortable making the pick at 19.”

It’s the volatility of the first round that is keeping the scouting staff on their toes.

“Once you get to a certain group of players, it could go anywhere and it could go in multiple directions just depending on who’s picking and what they’re looking to do,” Mann said. “After a certain point, it’s a little harder to plan for and you have to have several different scenarios in play just so that you’re ready.”

Dorion said he’s convinced that no matter what direction the club takes Friday night, the Senators will add a player who will make an impact for the organization down the road.

“By listening to the very animated conversations in there today, we’re definitely going to get a good hockey player,” Dorion said. “There’s a lot of players that we like. We know a good one is going to fall to No. 19 if that’s where we are. We’re probably going to throw out the line that, ‘We never expected him to be there.’

“But, at the same time, we know we’re going to get a good player and probably that player won’t play this year. As we’ve alluded to previously, he might play next year or two years or three years. We feel we’re going to get someone who is a top-six forward or a top-four defenceman.”

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